One Week, Two Coasts: San Francisco & Brooklyn

It’s the start of the summer travel season here in North America — people are again flocking to Europe in record numbers, and it would seem everyone knows someone heading to Japan. As for myself, this week I jetted off on standby between opposite coasts — first to California to audition for the San Francisco Opera Orchestra, and then over to NYC’s remarkably hip Brooklyn neighborhood. I’ve imagined one day moving to either city, and so I treated this week as a fun opportunity to do a side-by-side comparison.

I began my journey from Wisconsin two days prior to my audition. I struggled to get a flight on standby to SF, and so I ended up flying into the nearby San José airport instead — getting in at a ripe 1:30 AM. After a brief in-airport snooze I found myself venturing out at 4:00 to get to the nearest train station. The airport shuttles didn’t operate this early, and I wasn’t interested in an Uber. Instead I walked the exterior perimeter fence of the airport for nearly an hour before finally arriving to the Cal-Train station. There I caught a 5:13 train to San Francisco, and I was settled into bed at my Airbnb in the Mission neighborhood by 6:45.

Following a full day of recuperation I headed downtown first thing the next morning for my preliminary round audition at SF’s War Memorial Opera House. There I popped a ritualistic beta-blocker to cool my nerves, and went in feeling confident. My playing reflected this, and I was advanced to the semi-final round for the following day. This was huge for me, I had never advanced in an audition for a full-time orchestra. However, the next day my playing wasn’t in as good of shape, and I did not advance to the final round. I took a moment to find gratitude in what I had accomplished, and in that I shifted my mind to enjoying as much of San Francisco as I could.

This was my fourth visit to San Francisco. Despite its reputation for corrupt politics and a wild cost of living, I still believe SF is one of the most geographically and architecturally beautiful cities in the world. During my stay here I really dug into the public transit system, which, for the record, is quite confusing. Firstly, there’s the BART train network that connects cities throughout the Bay Area. Then there’s the MUNI buses that have an extensive network throughout SF. Additionally there are the colorful, post-card worthy trams that connect touristy areas at an annoyingly high cost ($8 per ride). Then, say you want to use public transit to go near or across the Golden Gate Bridge — for your (ill)-convenience there’s the Golden Gate Transit buses that are similarly expensive. Oh, and lest I forget – there’s also the Cal-Train service that brought me to SF from San José!

With so many ways to get around the city I found the MUNI buses to be the most convenient, as day passes were available on the app for $5. Between the first and second day of my audition I took a bus north to the Fisherman’s Wharf. Amazingly I had never been to this touristy but inspiring corner of the city, where splendid views of Alcatraz island stood before the distant Golden Gate Bridge, which itself glowed in the afternoon light and sometimes disappeared behind SF’s iconic Karl the fog. For dinner I had myself a ceremonial In-N-Out “double-double” burger (when in California, am I right?). With a couple hours of daylight remaining I made my way up to the nearby Coit Tower for panoramic views of the city and Bay Area.

Each day that I was in SF I walked over 20,000 steps. When at home or traveling I typically only make it to 10k, but somehow in SF the steps really rack up. Perhaps it’s that connections for the MUNI buses had me hiking up and down SF’s distinctively challenging hills, but I think that walking here is simply an activity in and of itself. If I were to one day move here I would probably seek an apartment in one of the more flat areas of town, particularly since I do not own a car. Although I enjoy walking, navigating these hills regularly would be exhausting.

My primary concern with a move to SF has been its associated high cost of living. However, on this visit I found the city to be less expensive than I thought. I spent most of my time in the Mission neighborhood, and here I found manageable prices. This part of town is a melting pot of Latin-American cultures, and as such there were numerous produce markets in the streets with great deals (i.e. six small avocados for $3). I still avoided dining out, as this remained quite expensive — but overall I felt assured that an existence is possible here on a lower income.

On my final afternoon I made my way to the Golden Gate Bridge. I had once driven across back in 2018, but a walk was surely a more immersive way to admire this feat of engineering. Along the way I watched in amusement as families struggled to drag their young children along, and a trio of German boys with ridiculously baggy pants that screamed “Gen-Z” had themselves a sprinting match. The views from up there are so expansive on either side, and the sheer length of the bridge deterred hoards of tourists. This walk was well overdue for me. That night I flew to New York, and I decided that the next day I’d walk the Brooklyn Bridge — because why not walk America’s two most famous bridges back to back?

Interestingly the two friends that I was staying with in Brooklyn had both previously been long-term residents of SF. The city comparisons began with the transit journey from LaGuardia airport to Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood. Brooklyn in general is shockingly time-consuming to reach by transit from LaGuardia, as there is no direct train or bus. My journey required one bus and three train transfers — amounting to nearly 90 minutes in transit. Over the years I’ve learned that where you are heading in NYC plays a big part in how easy the journey will be from any of the three city airports. On a positive note I’ll say that in comparison to SF, I appreciate that all of the buses and trains in NYC operate under one system — and all you have to do is tap your debit or credit card. No apps or special transit cards needed.

Once I was settled into my friends’ apartment I headed out with one of them to walk the bridge. Halfway across on our way to the Manhattan side the crowd suddenly stopped, and we realized that police had halted both pedestrian and car traffic to help a person who had climbed to a corner ledge of the bridge (in a likely attempt to jump). My friend and I were disturbed by the crowd spectacle this became, with busy New Yorkers ignorantly trying to budge their way through and tourists filming the scene for whatever insensitive purpose. Fortunately the situation was eventually controlled, and everyone got on their way.

Whereas SF is dominated by the tech industry, NYC remains an artistic center — here I have a sizable network of friends and acquaintances, and so a move would be easier from a social perspective. When it comes to aesthetics, SF is a spectacle of hills and Victorian architecture that rarely feels overcrowded – but NYC is like a bustling ant hill, and in regard to most young people the city seems to exist for two reasons: to hustle a career together, and to date forever because there are endless options. And as far as vibes go, Brooklyn has to be the most hipster, and openly queer place I’ve ever been. I’m a pretty clean-cut person who dresses in a minimalist sense, so it got me wondering – maybe I’m more of a Manhattan girlie?

My days in Brooklyn were pretty tame. I indulged in bagel sandwiches at Bagelsmith, I enjoyed people-watching in the streets, and there was ample time spent watching 90-Day Fiancé with my friends. One afternoon comprised of thrift shopping in the neighborhood of Greenpoint, along with a stop to a local diner. That evening we took the train further east to see one of our friends perform an experimental music show in a backyard garage. This was one of the most Brooklyn-esque experiences, one of the performers even said so herself.

For this there were a dozen or so audience members huddled together under a tent, with abstract paintings hung up on the yard-side fences and piles of old televisions set up in the garage space all playing the same psychedelic video sequence throughout the evening. There was a “bar” consisting of a cooler with a Venmo link for payment. Some light rain towards the end had us all move inside the house, where we gathered in the basement for an intimate performance by a local jazz singer/songwriter together with some poetry and even more television displays.

While I was hoping to have won the job in San Francisco, this trip turned out to be a memorable immersion into these two cities. I wondered if I’d emerge with some clarity on which (if either) city I’d feel more attached to. Honestly, San Francisco matches my mellow and outdoorsy vibe – although NYC could be a more fruitful and sociable place to live within my profession. There are more orchestra auditions I plan to take in September, so for now it doesn’t make sense to move anywhere. In the meantime I’m going to venture abroad to kill some time before I begin preparing for the next audition …

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